Guyanese literature is multifaceted and, not surprising for any national literature, it becomes very difficult to generalise or reach pat conclusions about it. Among the best attempts to capture it in a single document is that account of it written for Peepal Tree Press by Jeremy Poynting. One cannot get more comprehensive and informed than that. There are, however, compartments of it, both diachronically and synchronically, that can be usefully focused and analysed. Guyana’s Independence Anniversary provides a pertinent context for a glance at some of these compartments and at how the literature developed and shaped itself before and after Independence.
One may begin with the Colonial Era, moving from the historical beginnings to Emancipation and Post-Emancipation; then Pre-Independence Literature including its different phases – the beginning of Modern Guyanese Literature, Imitation and the struggle for cultural identity, followed by the period of Nationalism; next would be Post-Independence Literature with various sub-sections – Nationalism, the influence of Republicanism, and then Contemporary Guyanese Literature with its innumerable sub-sections including Guyanese East Indian Literature and various new directions.
Two very important compartments are the oral literature and the drama. The oral literature is traditional, indigenous and was there before any of the written literature. It remains closely allied with the indigenous traditions, mythology, beliefs and theatrical or performance traditions. The richest store of these is in the Amerindian tales, then there are those belonging to the
